Closure for jars and the like.



A. L. SGHRAM.

CLOSURE FOR JARS AND THE LIKE.

Ptented Sept. 7,1909.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11, 1908.

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' flzzorne gs Specification of Letters lat'eiit'. A

Application flied June 11, 1908-. Serial No. 437,912.

To all' whom it mayconcem:

7 Be it known that 1, ALEXANDER L. SCHRAM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Hillsboro, in thecounty of Montgomery and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Closures forJars and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to improvements in jar closuresof the sort disclosed in Letters Patent No. 734,140, granted to me July21, 1903. In said patented closure a jar cover or cap is employed whichis rovided with a permanently attached inwar ly-projecting rubber gasketwhich is adapted to extend up between the wall of the cover and. a lipsurrounding the mouth of the jar to form a tight joint between the jarand the cover. A vent hole is provided in the wall of the cover abovethe point of attachment of the gasket thereto which'allows the air toescape from the jar in forcing the cap down over the mouth of the jar,until the cover is fully seated, when the-gasket is compressed betweenthe wallof the'cover' and the lip of the jar at or above the vent holeso as to effectually out ofl. communication between the hole and theinterior of the jar and. hermeticallv seal the jar. It is impractical orvery diilicult in manufacturing the caps to punch the vent holes, whichare ve small, with clean cut edges, and the roug inb'ent edges of theholes sometimes puncture the rubber gaskets, which allows air to leakinto the jar and break the seal, or permits the contents to ooze out andspoil the appearance. The holes also have to be unched after the coversare made, thus a ding to the labor and cost of manufacture thereof.

' One object of this invention is to reduce a practical and reliableclosure of t is type jars it is possible for the edge of the gasket tocatch underneaththe lip of the jar at one side and' prevent the propersealing of the ar.

Another object of the invention is to so form the cover and secure thegasket thereto that the gasket will extend upwardly into the coverinconical form, thereby making Patented Sept. '7, 1909.

it practically impossible for the edge thereof A to catch under the lipof the jar and so that the gasket assists in centering the cover on thejar.

Still another object of the invention is to improve jar closures of thissort in the respects hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure l is a sectional elevation of a jarcover embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectionalelevation of the same in I place on a jar. Fig. 3 is a fragmentarysectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the cover. Fig. 4 is aplan view, partly in section, of the cover. Fig. 5, is a fragmentarysectional elevation of a jar with the cover placed loosely thereon.fragmentary sectional elevation thereof, on an enlarged scale,indicating the manner of detaching the cover. Fig. 7 is a plan of aportion ofthe sheet from which the cover blanks are stamped. Fig. 8 is asectional elevation of a cover of modified construction.

Fig; 9 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of another modification.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A- represents the upper portion of a fruit jar, bottle or analogousvessel, having a neck provided with a wide mouth surrounded byalaterally-projecting lip or flange a. The

lip is referably of the shape shown, being bevele or wider at thebottomthan at the top,-'and having a relatively sharp or thin sealingedge (1 against which the cover gasket is pressed to make a tightclosure,

Fig. 6 is .a

and also 'havi'n a shoulder a below the sealing edge a for a pur osewhich will be explained. The neck of t e jar is also preferably providedbelow. the 11 with an outwardly projecting collar or ange a.

The cover or ca has a crownor head B with a substantial y uprightannular wall I) which is adapted to surround the lip of the jar, and arim or flange b which extends outwardl from the lower edge of the upga'e bein I 60 cover blanks it wifi C represents the annular packing gasketof rubber, or other suitable flexible elastic material, which issecurely attached at its outer edge to the under side of the rim of thecover, preferably by the inturned outer edge I; of the rim. The gasketnormally projects inwardly from the rim some distance beyond the uprightwall I) of the cover, and is adapted to bend upwardly and beclampedtightly between this upright wall and the lip a of the jar whenthe cover is forced down into place on the jar. In the patented coverthe rim is horizontal and the gasket extends horizontally inwardlytherefrom,but in the present device the rim is made flaring or conical,which causes the gasket, which before being secured to the cover isflat, to converge upwardly and inwardly into the crown of the cover, orassume a conical form, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

In securing the cover on the jar it is placed over the jar mouth withthe gasket resting or hearing on the lip a and pressed down until firmlyseated against the collar a As the gasket converges upwardly it acts tocenter the cover on the jar, and the cover would have to be held in avery awkward position, with one side tilted up very high, to make itpossible to catch the edge of the gasket under the lip of the jar. Thecover could not therefore be improperly placed on the jar without makinga special effort to do so.

Instead of puncturing the upright wall I) of the cover to provide theair vent hole, a vent roove or channel, D, is pressed in the uprig twall I) of the cover at 1ts lower edge, and a break or gap e, Figs. 3, 4and 5, is made adjacent to the vent groove D in the inturned edge b ofthe cover which secures the. gasket, thus leaving the outer edge of thegasket free or disconnected from the cover rim for a short distance atthis point, and affording a passage between the gasket and the rim ofthe cover for the escape of air from the jar when placing the coverthereon.

The covers are pressed or drawn into shape from circular blanks, and'bystamping the blanks from a strip of metal which is slightly narrowerthan the diameter of the blank, as indicated in Fig. 7 a short straightedgeis left on the blank at one side, as shown at f, which leaves thegape in the edge of the cover when the latter is pressed into shape fromthe blank. The vent groove D is formed by the dies which shape thecover, and the formed in stamping the be seen that no special operationis necessary in providing thevent passage; 7

In placin the cover on the jar the engagement o the lip a with thegasket tends to open the gap or slit between the disconnected edgeportion of the asket; and the rim of the cover, as shown in Fig. 5, thevent groove D and gap thus together affording a passage between thegasket and walls of the cover through which the air can escape freelyfrom the jar. When the cover is pressed down into the proper osition onthe jar the gasket is compressed Between the lip a and the upright wallb of the cover at or slightly above the vent groove D, as shown in Fig.2, to close the vent passage, so as to make a tight joint andhermetically seal the jar. The collar a on the jar also bears againstthe gasket near its outer edge, as shown in Fig. 2, and supplements theother joint between the lip and the upright wall of the cover in makingthe closure perfectly air tight.

The gap 6 formed'as described is the preferred way of making the openingbetween the gasket and the cover, but an opening the space between thegasket and the rim adjacent to the vent groove will produce the sameresult.

Fig. 8 shows a cover in which the lower portion of the upright wall isof larger diameter than the upper portion, thereby forming an internalshoulder with a continuous annular vent groove or channel G below it.This groove cooperates with the gap e at the edge of the rim inthe samemanner as the groove D in the first construction, to form a passage forthe escape of air from the jar. When the gasket is compressed betweenthe lip a and the wall of the cover above the groove G, it effectuallycuts off communication between the groove and the interior of the jarand seals the jar as in the other construction.

Fig. 9 illustrates the conical gasket C applied to a cover B having avent hole D in its upright wall. The conical shape of the gasketperforms the saine functions in this cover as in the other, of centeringthe cover on the jar and preventing the gasket from catching underthelip' a in applying the cover. v i

The cover is retained on the jar and hermetically closes the same by theatmospheric pressure when it has been properly applied, and noadditional fastening means are necessary. If, however, an additionalretaining device is desired as an extra precaution against thecover'bein dislodged 1n packin and shipping the filled jars, an ordinaryshaped wire cli H can be placed over the cover with its inbent endsengaging under the collar a of the jar, as shown-ixfFig. 2. The collar,therefore, affords a shoulder for holding the retaining clip, andanother and 1m ortantfunction of the collar is to ro- V1 e a rojectingpart at the upper en of the jar y which it can be suspended in themolding machine in making the jars, so that the sealing lip. If the lipis used as the suspending part it isliable to be distorted,

which prevents it from forming a proper seal. 1

To remove" the cover, it is pried up at one side with a knife or othersharp implement inserted between the rim of the cover and the collar aof the jar, to admit air to the jar, after which the cover can be easilylifted off of the jar. The shoulder a? on the lip a beneath its sealingedge acts as a guard to prevent the knife from-engaging and injur-. ingthe-sealing edge. The sealing edge can therefore be'made sharp so as toinsure a perfect closure without danger of its being broken in openingthe jar and thereby rendering the jar unfit for use a second time.

I claim as my invention:

1. A vessel cover or top having an annular wall provided with a ventgroove, and a cover an packing gasket which is secured -to said coverand projects from said annular wall below said vent groove and isadapted to extend up between said annular wall and the wall of thevessel to close said vent groove, the cover having provision for theescape of air from the space between said asket and said wall of thecover below sai vent groove while the cover is being placed on the jar,substantially as set forth.

2. A vessel cover or top having a wall provided with a vent groove, andapackin gasket which is secured to said cover and projects from saidwall and is adapted to extend between said wall and the wall of thevessel to close said vent groove when the cover has been forced intoplace on the jar, the cover having provision for opening said groove tothe atmosphere whereby the air can escape from the jar through saidgroove while the cover is being substantially as set forth.'

3. A vessel cover or top having an annu-- lar wall provided with a ventgroove, and a packin gasket which is secured to the projects from saidannular wall below said groove and is ada ted to extend between saidannular wa and the wall u oi the vessel to close said vent groove, saidgasket being disconnected from the cover at a point adjacent to saidvent groove whereby air can escape from the jar throu h said roove whilethe cover is being place onthe ar, substantially as set forth. I

4. The combination of a vessel having a sealing lip surroundin itsmouth, a cover having an annular wall which is adapted to A surroundsaid lip and is provided with a vent groove, and a acking gasket whichis secured to and PIOjGCtS laterally from the placed on the jar,'

cover below said vent groove and is adapted to extend up between saidannular wall and said lip to close said vent groove, said cover beingconstructed so that an opening is provided between said gasket and thecover below said vent groove while the cover is being placed on thejar,substantially as set forth. 7

- 5. The combination of a vessel having an external sealing lipsurrounding its mouth, and a collar which projects outwardly belowsaidlip, a cover which is provided with an annular wall surrounding saidlip above said collar and having a vent passage and which isalso'provided with a flexible sket adapted to be compressed between saidannular wall and said sealing lip to close said vent passage, and meanswhich engage said collar and hold said cover firmly down on said collarwhereby said collar supplements said sealing lip in eflI'ecting a tightclosure of the vessel, substantially as set forth;

' 6. The combination of a vessel havin a lip surrounding its mouth andprovi ed with a sealing edge and below the same with a guard shoulderfor said sealing edge, a

cover having an annular wall which surrounds said lip and is providedwith a vent passage, and a flexible gasket which is adapted to becompressed between said annular wall and said lip to close said ventpassage, substantially as set forth.

7; The combination of a vessel having-a sealing lip surrounding itsmouth, a cover having an annularnwall which surrounds saidlip and isprovided with a vent passage, and a flexible gasket which is secured toand normally converges upwardly and inwardly from said annular wallbelow said vent passage andis adapted to extend up between said annularwall and said sealing lip to close said vent passage, substantially asset forth.

8. The combination of a vessel having a sealing lip surrounding itsmouth, a cover having an annular'wall which surrounds said lip andisprovided with a vent passage and with a downwardly-flaring rim belowvsaid vent passage, and a flexible gasket which is secured to said rimand normally converges upwardly and inwardly from said annular wall andis adapted to extend up between said annular wall and said sealing lipto close said vent passage, substantially as set forth. 1

Witness my hand, this 30th day of May,

1908. ALEXANDER L. SCHRAM'. Witnesses:

J. J. FREY, H. K. Fmx,

